Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 17 - Teacher Seeks a Tiny Upgrade - full transcript

Across the nation,
people are going small--

really small...

These are so cute!

...buying tiny houses,

some just a microscopic
100 square feet.

Whoa.

This is a tiny house.

It looks really small.

This tiny trend
is picking up big steam,

with everything from
converted train cars and barns

to yurts
and microhouses on wheels.



I'd be a gypsy
on the run.

How many people
can you fit in here?

How many people
can fit in my shower?

Hey! I can have a lot of guests.
Wait a minute!

Tired of off the grid living,

tiny house veteran Joel
is jumping back on.

But old habits die hard.

Right here,
I could put an outside shower.

Well, unless you want to
get arrested, Joel,

I think your days
of showering outside are over.

I'll make you a $5 bet that
I'll never use the dishwasher.

Easy money.

But will he find a conventional
tiny home he can live with?

I want you to brace yourself
for this.



There's a toilet in here.

This is crazy.

Hey, guys!

My name is Joel and I currently
live in the backwoods

of Durham, New Hampshire.

I have the privilege
of teaching in a high school.

I teach psychology
and global studies.

Before becoming a teacher,
Joel worked for the Peace Corps.

The most
transformative experience

of my life was my experience
in the Peace Corps.

Being able to see
how the majority of people

in the world live really

both humbled me and made
be aware of my privileges.

A couple years ago,
my partner and I separated

and I found myself realizing
that since I was single,

I could live however I wanted.

And I really wanted to live
close to the earth.

So he embraced
a minimalist lifestyle head-on,

moving over an hour and a half
away from work.

Right now,
I live in 127 square feet.

One of the benefits of being
in my tiny house in the woods

is that the extension
of my living space is outside.

I've grown used
to being able to get my own eggs

from the chickens here and also
to grow my own food.

My current plumbing situation
is unique.

I have an outhouse.

I have a little washroom
in the tiny house,

but in nice weather, I prefer
to bucket bathe outside.

After a year
of living off the grid,

Joel is still committed
to a tiny lifestyle.

But he's ready for a change

and has put his current home
up for sale.

It's time to start
thinking about moving now.

Being single in the middle of
the woods poses some challenges.

I'm asking a lot people
who might want to come over,

when they ask for the restroom
and I point out the outhouse.

I feel like I'm ready to
transition back to on the grid.

He would also like
to move closer to the town

of Rockport, Massachusetts,

where the school
he teaches at is located.

I want to avoid ever
having a winter again,

where I have to drive an hour
and a half to school each way.

I would like
an indoor toilet.

That's my requirement
for your new house

is an indoor toilet.
- Deal.

My really good friend from work,

Stacy, will be joining me
on my house hunt

and I think that she'll be able
to provide another perspective,

different from my own,
perhaps more realistic.

Maybe you want to get
a bathmat

and toilet paper
for an indoor toilet.

I think Joel's pretty locked-in
to this tiny house movement

and that's great, I support him
because that's what friends do,

but if I can get
him to have the most,

kind of permanent-looking house,
of a tiny house,

that's what I want to do.

Do you want to get
some pound cake?

Yeah.

So my budget is $150,000.

My goal is to get as much
as bang for my buck as possible.

This is beautiful.

I really have always been
attracted to colonial homes,

Victorians homes,

homes that are connected
to history in some way.

This one has
a huge bathroom!

My wish list
includes having running water,

having a toilet.

It'd be really great to be able
to stand up in my own bedroom,

because right now I bump my head
a lot in the loft.

Also, not being so close
to neighbors.

I know that I'll probably
have to have neighbors

because of the geography
where I want to be looking,

but not to be
right on top of neighbors.

Wherever I move, ideally,

I'd like a space
for a vegetable garden

and a space for chickens.

Perfect.
- Is it good?

Yeah.
Really good.

What I really want
is to create a welcoming space.

I think I'll get it.
- That would look nice.

It'll be good
for perennial.

It'll represent for me
a sense of home.

Helping Joel go tiny

is local real-estate agent,
Mike Armano.

Joel's budget in looking
for his house is $150,000.

He really doesn't want
to go over that.

The problem is,
in Massachusetts,

it's very difficult to find
any house for that price.

Today, Mike is showing them
a historic fisherman's cottage,

in a tiny house community
in Rockport,

a bustling sea-side area known
for it's New England charm.

And it's less than
a half an hour from Joel's work.

So which one is it?

- It's this unit over here.
- Okay.

It looks like
an identical twin.

Yet, this whole area here

is all part
of a homeowners association.

It was actually built
around 1850.

It's an old
fisherman's cottage,

but everything has
been redone.

Style wise, it's kind
of colonial and has a history.

Right away when you see it,
you know that there's a story.

You do have
a private section,

if you go over to the left side
of the house here.

Now keep in mind, everything
on this land is commonly owned,

but there is some privacy
that's deeded to you.

Right here, I could put
an outside shower, maybe.

Well, unless you want to
get arrested, Joel,

I think your days
of showering outside are over.

So, where would I, like,
keep a chicken coop,

if that's possible?

I think you might be
more concerned about having

an HOA than a chicken.

I think Joel needs to be
a little bit more realistic

about what kind of outdoor
spaces he's actually gonna get

in a place such as Rockport.

You're gonna have neighbors,

not everybody is gonna want
a chicken clucking all the time.

I know I wouldn't.

HOA-- Does that mean
I have fee?

Yes, it does. It means
you're part of an association.

You have to work
with your neighbors.

So whether they'd want
you to have a chicken or not,

that's up to you
and your neighbors.

Learning about the HOA
is a bit of a downer for me.

I like the idea of being free
to make of my living space

what I want to make of it,

not to have
to almost get permission.

The square footage
is 267 square feet,

but does have a top loft
that adds about 140 square feet.

Bigger than what I have now.

- Which is awesome.
- Right.

The price is $169,000 and before
you get a little nervous,

we are in Rockport
and prices are much higher.

Joel wants to be close
to his work

and that's very difficult
to find within that budget.

All right.
Here it is.

Oh, wow.
It's very open.

It's very bright.

The floors look pretty old, Mike.

I do love history,
but sometimes this--

there might be
a little too much history.

You could change them out,

the only thing--
that gets expensive.

See, I don't want to be
at a place

where I have to put
in a new floor,

especially at a place
that's already over budget.

We have some closet space.

You're gonna have to get
stuff to put in the closets.

I know. I have six shirts.
Stop that.

I can see myself,
like, being able to host

in a space like this.
- Definitely.

Now, Joel, this is a kitchen.

This is a full kitchen.

You have a dishwasher.

Look at the size of the sink!

You have
a garbage disposal.

This is
a beautiful kitchen,

but there's elements of it
that I don't even need really.

I'll make you a $5 bet that
I'll never use the dishwasher.

Easy money.
Ha!

The bathroom is right
though that door.

A shower!

Oh, you need to brace
yourself for this.

There's a toilet
in here.

This is crazy.
I like that it's very efficient.

It that's what you
call this thing...

If you had to wash
your face,

you'd put your head
through the wall!

You know,
I like how it kind of has

a cathedral ceiling
feel up here.

- So this is about--
- Oh, nice!

About 140 square feet.

That's bigger than your entire
tiny house right now.

Obviously, the ceiling
is a little low in some spots,

but at least
you can stand up.

Yeah.
That is pretty great.

I like that I could stand
in the bedroom.

I like that I have a shower.

I appreciate the location
for this house.

I mean, it's gorgeous.

Still, the price
is getting to me.

I understand, I mean,

it's almost $20,000
over your budget.

That's a huge jump.
- That's a huge jump.

You don't have that much space
for your garden.

And being part of an HOA,

which I've never been
part of before...

- Yeah?
- ...is a little
bit intimidating.

There's elements of the house
that I just won't end up using.

And since it's
so much more expensive

than what I'm budgeting for,

I don't know
if I can make it work.

So Mike has found them

a slightly more budget-friendly
tiny home.

It's almost like the house
doesn't need a door.

Uh...

- Well, maybe not so much.
- I would beg to differ.

I think a bathroom
needs a door.

- You know I hate shopping.
- I know.

But its fun!

Rockport,
Massachusetts teacher Joel

is looking to
get out of his rustic

127-square-foot
cabin in the woods

and into an upgraded tiny home
closer to work.

With a budget of $150,000,

and the help
of his best friend Stacy,

he's looking for a home
with indoor plumbing,

where he can still raise
chickens and grow his own food.

They saw a historic
fisherman's cottage in Rockport

that Joel loves,

but it's part
of a homeowners association,

which might cramp Joel's
off the grid lifestyle.

And it's well above budget
at $169,000.

Today, agent Mike is taking Joel
to see a house

built by Tiny House Northeast,

a company
that designs and builds

for local New Englanders
looking to go tiny.

I love the color!
It's so nice and bright.

I really like the porch overhang.

I like the dormer windows
already I can tell.

Yeah. It definitely has
a lot of character.

I figured you
would like this one.

It's 133 square feet
on the main floor

and then there's a loft,
which adds more space.

It's about
200 square feet total.

Okay.
That's great.

- Excellent.
- That's definitely bigger

than my current house.
- Yeah.

The price is great-- $44,900.

Okay.

That's a lot lower
than your budget.

Right. But I would need to
factor in the cost of the land.

Right,
that's your future investment.

You can have your chickens,

you can have a pig
if you want to.

Tell me it has
an indoor bathroom.

It does.
It's set up like a standard RV.

So you'll have your plumbing,

electricity,
and everything you need.

Great.
Oh, wow.

Its really open.
- Oh.

Awesome.
It's so bright.

Yes, it is

I like that it's white

because it kind of makes
it feel a lot bigger than it is.

I like the floors, too.
They look like hardwood?

Yeah, the floors are actually
a local sourced hardwood.

Yeah.
Great.

I'm gonna sit down
on this couch.

So in my current tiny house,
there wasn't

really a comfortable place
for people to sit.

- Right.
- And relax.

This would allow for that.
I like it.

It's definitely
a small kitchen,

but it doesn't feel
super small.

It bothers me
that this is really unfinished.

That whole under area there,
is really wasted space.

I like that
while I'm cooking,

I'd be able
to look outside also.

Its a good placement
for a window.

I think you have
great prep-space for cooking.

The granite's really nice.

The granite is really nice.

This area here is really nice
'cause you can have seating,

and it kind of tucks away.

So you could have
a sit-down meal.

When it comes down to it,
I mean,

I really do like
the kitchen.

- And then your bathroom.
- Oh, interesting.

A shower, toilet.

This is actually
a very interesting design,

that it's out of the way.

And even though
there's no door,

it's almost like the house
doesn't need a door.

Right.
It is very private.

The hallways...
- Uh.

Well, maybe not so much.

I would beg to differ.

I think a bathroom
needs a door.

I wish there was a sink.

It looks like you have
to do everything in the shower.

I think that's where we
would wash hands and things.

Do you want to try it?

Stay right there.
- No!

How many people
can you fit in here?

How many people
can fit in my shower?

Hey!
I can have a lot of guests--

Wait a minute!

I want to check out upstairs.

Ah.
It is really spacey up here.

Yeah. Once you get up here,
there is plenty of room.

You know, I wanted to
be able to stand up in the loft.

You can't do that here.

But it is spacious enough
with the dormers

where if I were lying down,
at least,

I don't think
I would bump my head.

You even have almost
like a little closet area there

where you could hand your shirts
and stuff for work,

so that's pretty cool.
- That is cool.

It has a lot
of what I'm looking for.

It has an opened feel
in the loft.

I could probably have a couple
people over comfortably here.

It does feel really big.

I like that it's so open.

What do you think, realistically,

about finding land
for such a place.

Massachusetts,
close to the school,

it's gonna be more like
$125,000 and up.

That's going to bring the cost
of the house up total.

So Mike has found Joel
a tiny house

with land and a lot more.

The color!

The color screams the beach, absolutely.

You entertain,
you love to cook.

How do you do that here?

No, I agree.
I really want more space.

Tiny house veteran Joel is ready
to get out of his off the grid

127-square-foot cabin
in the woods,

and back into civilization.

I'm going
to need a shower curtain.

With the help
of his best friend, Stacy,

and budget of $150,000,

he's looking for a tiny home
in Rockport, Massachusetts,

that's close to the school
where he teaches.

So far, they've seen
a restored fisherman's cottage

with historical details.

But while Joel loves the style,

he doesn't love the idea
of following the rules

of a homeowners association.

Plus, the place is well
above his $150,000 budget.

They've also seen
an affordable bungalow on wheels

that Joel likes.

But it lacks storage

and would require purchasing
land in pricey Rockport

to park it on.

So today,
Mike's found them a tiny home

in nearby Hampton Beach,
New Hampshire,

only 25 minutes
from Joel's work.

- It's on it's own piece of land.
- Okay.

- It's 426 square feet.
- Oh.

Way bigger than mine now.

Price is $159,900.

- Okay.
- It's a little over your budget,

I know,
but we'll make it work.

It's very cheery.

I know
you'll love the color.

This is great, yeah.

I like it.
It's very beach cottage-y.

- The color!
- The color screams the beach.

I'm excited to
see a house that you
can't roll around.

I feel like that makes
it more permanent

and it feels more like a home.

It's a really busy road.

It is noisy, but keep in mind,
you're 25 minutes from work.

It is in
a very high-traffic area,

so that would be an adjustment
for me.

Is this my outhouse?

Something like that.

- Oh, look at that!
- And outdoor shower.

So you get to keep
a little bit of the old place.

And if you want to feel
at home,

you can leave this door wide
open so everybody can see you.

I do notice it's not
a huge plot of land.

You could put in a, uh,
a little bit of garden,
maybe a few vegetables.

Yeah.
There's room to plant.

Yep. Oh.

So this is an awesome
front porch.

In theory, I could even
grow plants in here,

because it's kind of
like a sun room.

You could get a lot
of sunlight in here.

I think there's a lot
of different things that you

could do with this space.

- There it is.
- Oh, wow!

It does have an open feel,
which I really like.

This is really spacious.

It is a little bit more
than I had expected.

I don't know think
I need all that space.

The carpet is nothing
to write home about.

Right.
Right.

Actually, I don't hear
the traffic that much.

It's really loud outside,
but not so much in here.

There's plenty of storage.

I mean,
this is a full-size kitchen.

- Yeah.
- The style of the house,

I don't know
if it really sits well with me.

It looks
a little mid-century,

knotty pioneer exposed, beachy.

I do like the exposed beams.

I think it adds a lot
of character,

and that is something
that you were looking for.

- Come check this out.
- What is this?

I don't like the wall.
What is this?

- You ready?
- I'm ready.

- Oh, wow!
- Okay.

That's a lot of space.

So this could be
a guest bedroom.

So if you have guests,
they could stay for--

very comfortably for awhile.

It could be like
an office area.

I think the biggest reason
Joel should consider

this house is the size of it.

It's much more practical.

Okay.
Actually, I like this bedroom.

- Yeah, this is a good size room.
- Yeah.

It's very woody.

It feels like
a real bedroom.

You don't have to duck
in it at all.

You know. You can stand up
and move around.

- It's a lot of closet space.
- Yeah.

That's something
you haven't had in awhile.

- Good use of space.
- Yeah.

The fact that I have a shower,
which looks really big actually.

Don't forget,
it has the shower outside, too!

- Right! Two for one!
- Two showers!

You know, it's a lot bigger
than what I thought it would be

from the outside.

I really like
the open design.

I could picture
hosting people here.

- Definitely.
- The traffic outside

and the noise factor, it's going
to be a real big change

from where I'm living now.

I would need to put some money
into this place.

I think to spruce it up
to my standards.

I don't like that it's already
over my budget.

Yeah, but I think it's important
to keep in mind,

you don't have to do everything
all at once.

After seeing
three different ways

to upgrade his tiny lifestyle,
it's time for Joel to decide

which one feels like home.

All right. So we've got to start
talking about these houses.

House hunting just got
a little bit smaller,

with people on the hunt
for tiny homes.

Could you live
in such close quarters?

Learn more at...

- Cool.
- Yeah?

Joel is ready to upgrade his
tiny rustic cabin in the woods,

to a slightly larger
and more modern tiny home

that's closer to work
in Rockport, Massachusetts.

After seeing three
vastly different ways to go,

it's time for him to decide
which one he'll call home.

All right. So we've got to start
talking about these houses.

There's the fisherman's
cottage in Rockport.

I mean, it is beautiful.

Way overpriced, Stace.

$169,900 and I've never lived
in an HOA before.

We also have to
keep in mind that

that would add another
$150 a month for my HOA costs.

That's true.

You have a beautiful bathroom
on the inside, right?

You have a nice loft
that you could stand up in.

There has been a lot
of renovations.

I like how close
it is to school,

but it keeps coming back
to price for me.

So let's talk
about the tiny house on wheels.

What do you think
about that one?

In terms of the price,

it was pretty awesome,
$45,000 about.

I like that the loft
has so much more space.

I wish the bathroom
had a door though,

that would have
been my criticism.

See the door thing
doesn't bother me at all.

And I really think that,

you really need to have a sink
in that bathroom.

The number one thing
that worries me,

I have to factor in the fact

that I'm going to have pay
a lot for land.

Now, let's talk about
the Hampton Beach house.

How much was that one again?

That was $159,900,

which was only slightly
over my budget.

I love that your close
to school, that's definitely

something that was on the top
of your list.

What I really like is
the square footage of the house.

There's a lot
of potential there.

I like that you had
a dining area.

I never would have thought that
in the tiny house.

You know, the issue
for me is just the noise level.

Being right
at that busy intersection.

Between the three...

The only thing stopping me
on Rockport is the price.

If Mike could bring it down
a little bit,

I would definitely
jump on it.

I think
you're buying a house!

I think we need to call Mike and
see if we can make this happen.

I closed on the house
a couple weeks ago,

and now I'm starting
to settle in.

It feels very comfortable here.

And I love being able to live
so much closer to school.

Originally, the price
was $169,000

and that was a bit of an issue.

The seller came down
to $164,000,

which is still a bit
over budget.

- Oh, hey, Joel!
- Hi, Rosemary!

- How you doing?
- I'm good, how are you?

Good, good!

I'm certainly closer to
neighbors than I was in Durham.

That's been
a bit of an adjustment,

but I'm really okay
with being part of this HOA.

The fees cover the master
insurance, sewerage, and water,

things that I would be
paying for anyway.

Very importantly,
I found a place for my hammock.

I really like my outdoor space.

I can't raise chickens
in this particular location.

And that was a bit
of a compromise.

But for all the things
that I received by living here,

it more than makes up for that.

What I love about this property

is it's historic
and yet renovated.

It's very open space.

There's a lot of light

and the layout
doesn't feel very tiny.

It feels very comfortable.

- Oh, my gosh!
- Stace!

Oh, my gosh,
right away the floors!

- Yeah I know.
Don't they jump out?
- What a difference.

I had my friend Kevin
sand it down.

He took off a bunch
of coats of paint

and then
he stained it up.

- I love it.
- Yeah?

It looks amazing.

My lifestyle in Durham
was bit unique,

but I really do enjoy having
running water

and a bathroom that functions.

We're going to be doing a lot
of entertaining around here!

Whoo-hoo!

When I moved to the tiny house
on wheels,

it was originally an experiment

to try working within my values
of minimalism, simplicity.

I don't feel like moving into
this tiny cottage compromises

my values.

I think it's a smart investment
for my future.